Mommy Dearest is the first thing that comes to mind w this story. It wasn’t a bad attempt at a narcissistic parent raising an abused child, especially for a first attempt. I totally called the ending super early which is fine, but I would have liked a few surprises getting there. Again, a pretty solid first novel that I wouldn’t give accolades to a seasoned author. Let’s see what else you’ve got Callie :)

"Claire, Darling" is a fast and gripping psychological thriller. I read some heavy books the past few weeks and haven't really felt like reading. I was looking for something fun to get me out of my reading slump, and this book did the trick. What a wild ride from start to finish! This is one of those books that will totally mess with your mind and have you trusting absolutely no one. It is a bingeworthy, unputdownable book. Be sure to clear your schedules so you can read it in one sitting. Some of it was a little predictable, but overall it was an enjoyable and memorable read. I certainly never saw that ending coming! I am highly impressed by Callie Kazumi's debut novel, and I look forward to reading her future works.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Claire, Darling starts off a bit slow, but by the second half, it becomes absolutely addictive. The pacing picks up, and I found myself completely drawn in. The main character, Claire, is incredibly unhinged, which adds an intriguing layer to the story, keeping me on edge throughout. The ending was unexpected and satisfying, leaving a lasting impact. While the beginning may take its time, the book ultimately becomes a compelling read that’s hard to put down.

3 stars--I liked the book.

A quick read, with lots of suspense that kept me turning pages. Some good character work too.

[Spoilers in this sentence!] One trope I'm getting tired of: the "bad guy' is mental illness. But aside from that annoyance, this was an entertaining read.

I received this review copy from the publisher on NetGalley. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review; I appreciate it!

Absolutely loved this and finished in less than 24hours. What a GREAT debut! Would make a fabulous movie. Especially loved the court scenes in the last third of the book. Bravo.

Thank you so much to Ballantine for the ARC!

This one was a such an easy and quick read! I didn't want to put it down!

I loved the concept of Claire being ghosted and I loved all the various POVs from the different characters.

The ending was a little expected, but I still think it was well done and made me feel SO many emotions about Claire and her life!

I think this one will be a hit with thriller lovers!

This novel is a mesmerizing deep dive into the complexities of love, betrayal, and identity. The story starts with a shocking revelation. Claire, eager to surprise her fiance Noah, discovers he never really existed in the way she thought. What follows is a harrowing unraveling of truth and obsession that keeps the reader on edge until the last page.

The author masterfully weaves Claire's unraveling present with the shadows of her traumatic past, crafting a protagonist who is as sympathetic as she is unsettling. Her desperate search for answers is a psychological thriller and a deeply personal journey of self-discovery. The tension builds with precision, making every chapter more intense than the last.

With haunting prose and unexpected twists, this book explores how the ghosts of our past can shape and sometimes distort our perception of reality. It is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers that blend suspense with emotional depth.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A storyline that goes back and forth between times Claire has spent with her mother growing up and her current day life with fiancé Noah. This book was an easy, quick read….with an easy to follow storyline. There is sadness, hope, deceit, and surprises in this book. Thanks to. Netgalley for the opportunity to read this.

ARC review • pub date 03.11.25

This is an incredible debut and definitely a page turner!

Claire is out of the blue ghosted by her fiancé, Noah, and is absolutely determined to find out why so she begins following him and retracing his steps to get to the bottom of it.

Written with flashbacks to a troublesome childhood, to diary entries of her relationship with Noah, to present day trying to figure out why her relationship has failed.. it is utterly gripping and you can easily read this in one or two sittings!

As someone who reads a ton of thrillers, none of the twists really fooled me. However, it was a great book and I will absolutely recommend it. I thought it was great!

4⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley, Random House/Ballantine/Bantam books for my ARC!

This book was so beautifully written. It was unexpected and exactly what I was looking for- thrilling! A very exciting and unique story.

In this psychological thriller, one woman’s quest for love spirals into a chilling tale of obsession and revenge. "Clair Darling" grips you from the start with its portrayal of Claire, who, after being inexplicably ghosted by her fiancé, Noah, uncovers a life-shattering truth. Her surprise visit with an anniversary lunch in hand turns into a bewildering discovery—Noah doesn’t work where he claimed, living a double life with another woman.

As Claire’s texts go unanswered and Noah remains elusive, her journey to reclaim her dream life transforms into a dark path of obsession. The narrative expertly delves into Claire's troubled past, revealing the deep scars left by a manipulative mother, which complicates her desperate attempts to find love and affirmation.

The plot thickens as Claire's pursuit leads her down a rabbit hole of deception and into the murky waters of her psyche. The author masterfully builds suspense, weaving a complex tapestry of relationships and past trauma, culminating in an ending that will leave readers questioning every twist. Was the surprise ending truly a shock, or was it inevitable given the web of lies entangling Claire’s life?
Utterly engrossing, 'Clair Darling' is a compelling read for anyone fascinated by the depths of the human heart and the dark turns love can take when mixed with betrayal and vengeance

This was a good read! Although the ending isn’t quite what I was expecting.

Claire and her recent fiance Noah are coming up to their anniversary and Claire wants to bring Noah lunch at work. Only when she gets there she is told that Noah does not work there. She tries getting ahold of him and he doesn’t respond or answer back. So where’s Noah who gets up every day to go to work? And why isn’t he answering or responding?

Pros
Keeps you hooked and wanting to know more
Themes can be related to
Very descriptive, makes you feel like you are there

Cons
Felt left with questions
Some characters weren’t fully developed

Thank you Random House Publishing and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book!

Wow! I am absolutely blown away by this book. Once I started, it was impossible to put down.

Claire, Darling begins with lunch between coworkers, and a sweet gesture of dropping off lunch to Claire’s fiancé. When Claire arrives at her fiancé’s office building, she’s shocked to find out he no longer works there. Once her shock subsides, she attempts to locate her lost fiancé, only to find out he’s avoiding her. After doing some investigating, she learns there are even more secrets he is hiding. Has their entire relationship been a lie? Will she be able to uncover the truth?

Claire, Darling touches on so many difficult topics including narcissism, abuse, and mental health disorders. Living through Claire’s childhood memories were raw and thought provoking. Reflecting the past to the current situation Claire was going through, allowed the story to come full circle in the end. This book had me captivated through the end of the epilogue.

Review will be posted on instagram (@pageswithkels) closer to publication date!

Claire thought she had it all. A decent job, a friend Suki and Noah. Noah is Claire’s fiancé and they are planning a life together. At least that’s Claire thought. Until it came crashing down around her.
With Noah working so hard Claire decides to bring him some dinner. When Claire and Suki arrive at Noah’s workplace, Claire find out that Noah doesn’t work. She tries to call and call him no answer what can be going on. Why didn’t he tell her that he changed jobs? Well, things go from there to worse with Claire and Noah. Noah seems to be ghosting. Claire class starts to find out what is going on with him by checking social media and running her own investigation. Not everything Claire about Noah Claire feeling very, very upset and many questions need to be answered.
Claire is not giving up and starts finding out that Noah isn’t the knight and shining armor that she thought he was. He’s turning out to be just like all of the boys that she knew in high school who tortured her and made fun of her. Memories from my childhood come back to haunt Claire. She still wants to know what she did to turn her away and then she finds Lilah. How could this be when Noah is supposed to be engaged to her?
I really feel terrible for Claire. She had a horrible childhood. Her mother couldn’t stand her. She thought she found someone who really loved her. She sees that this is just a lie. Yet class still wants to know what did I do? Why is now being the way he is? We do find out. The kind of person Noah really is. While finding out about Noah, you really start feeling sorry for Claire. It seems like the perfect world. She thought she lived in. It crumbling around her.
As a debut novel, I thought this was really well written, great characters and I really felt bad for Claire. I had to find out why Noah turned her life upside down. I was very surprised at the twist at the end one I did not expect. That’s one reason I really like this novel the unexpected. I would highly recommend anyone to read this book. I think many people would enjoy it.
So thank you NetGalley,Random Publishing House ,Ballantine for the ARC. THANK YOU Callie Kazumi for a well written debut novel. I look forward to more from her.

Impressive debut! I was glued to these pages wondering what was actually happening.

Claire wants to deliver lunch to her very busy fiancée who works in finance. But when she arrives at his fancy office, he is not only NOT there….he hasn’t worked in that office for months. From there we follow Claire and her best friend, Sukhi, on a mission to solve the mystery life of Claire’s fiancée, Noah.

I really loved this story; I thought the characterization and plot line were solid. I couldn’t put this down because I NEEDED to know what Noah was up to and if Claire was going to get her fairy tale ending. While this story is not brand new, it is twisty and highly entertaining. This is an author to watch!

Thank you Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on March 11, 2025

This is definitely the book for anyone who likes unreliable narrators! Claire's character was so great, and I loved the sense of slowly mounting unease surrounding Claire's relationship. Still not quite sure what the reality of the situation was at the end! I finished it one sitting!

Whewwww this book took me through it like Claire darling wake up lol like he played straight in her face but I understand because her childhood was not so great so she was looking for the love this book was an absolute page turner and I will be writing a review the day it’s released people need to read this book!!!! So good

Poor Claire. She goes to her fiancés work to bring him lunch only to find he doesn’t actually work there, that he hasn’t for months. And after a bit of detective work she finds his new employer only to be told there he’s written her off as a stalker. This is the man whose ring she wore, the man she lived with, the man she was renovating a house with to move in after they were married. And adding insult to injury she eventually finds he’s been deeply involved with another woman since before he met her. So what’s a girl to do? Well Claire goes somewhat off the edge but her journey is captivating. The only thing I didn’t like about this book was the ‘surprise twist’ at the very end. That seems to be a trend in books lately and I think it detracts overall. Otherwise I liked it.

Wow, I absolutely loved this book! One afternoon, Claire chooses to surprise her fiancé Noah at work with some lunch, only to discover he hasn't worked for that company in months. What follows is a whirlwind of secrets and lies, and Claire doing whatever she deems necessary to get the answers she needs. The dreadful descent to the plot twist (which I never saw coming) sucked me in, and once I reached the 30% mark I couldn't put it down. Usually I prefer when stories are wrapped up nicely with a neat little bow, but my one wish would be that there was one last twist at the end to make the reader keep guessing which parts of the story actually happened. Other than that, this was such a great read that I highly recommend. What a way to make a debut!

The writing in this thriller unfortunately felt rather uninspired. Beginning with a prologue that could go at the front of a dozen other stories I've read in the last year; then straight into diary entry interludes that carry their own baggage. When I got to the second half, I was expecting a big twist that didn't play out nearly the way I had expected; turns out I'd imagined a much more interesting story that never emerged. 2.5 stars.